Chapter 227

Chapter 228. The Strongest Shield and the Strongest Spear (4)

The Iron Blood Divine Technique seemed invincible.

There were no blind spots in its defense, and its recovery speed was so fast that the concept of taking time to destroy it didn’t apply. It was, quite literally, a flawless defensive technique.

But.

‘There’s no such thing as a perfect technique in this world.’

Keter didn’t do meaningless things.

Even though he knew his attacks lacked power, he continued to assault Hyperion to analyze the Iron Blood Divine Technique.

Provoking Hyperion with words and targeting sensitive areas like the groin were all part of his plan.

‘That way, he won’t realize I’m analyzing his technique.’

Hyperion might appear arrogant and foolish, but that was just his personality. In terms of martial arts, he was one of the top geniuses in this world.

To deceive someone like that, you couldn’t approach them with the intention of tricking them. You had to mix 1% of lies into 99% of truth.

Thus, Keter understood and deduced the principle and weakness of the Iron Blood Divine Technique.

‘It’s like rapidly cooling molten glass in cold water.’

Glass is fragile. But when cooled using the above principle and shaped like a tadpole, the head part gains immense strength.

However, this miracle only applies to the ‘head’ part. The tail part collapses with even the slightest pressure.

The Iron Blood Divine Technique also has a ‘tail.’ A weakness that, if touched, would dismantle the entire defense!

But would he reveal it? It’s invisible to the naked eye. That’s why Keter had to attack every part of Hyperion’s body to find it.

The place he discovered, where Hyperion, who had been confidently taking all attacks, had subtly avoided was…

“Here!”

Keter, holding Tusk, stabbed Hyperion’s heel.

A place you could never target while standing. So Keter deliberately collapsed the ground to force a jump, and Hyperion fell for it.

*Crack!*

A completely different sound echoed. The Iron Blood Divine Technique, which had been unyielding against any attack, shattered effortlessly.

*Crunch!*

But at the same time, Keter’s upper body began to twist. To break the Iron Blood Divine Technique’s reverse scale, he had sacrificed his body to the Clear Sky Thunder Fist.

In this state, if neither of them backed down, Keter’s upper body would explode, and Hyperion would lose his left ankle.

It would be natural for Keter, who would lose his life, to retreat—

“What kind of lunatic is this?”

Keter had no intention of retreating. His will was clear: ‘I’ll take your ankle and die.’

Hyperion pondered.

‘No. If I lose my ankle, I lose the Iron Blood Divine Technique.’

As a martial artist, one might think the legs are less important, but that’s a misconception. The legs are just as crucial as the fists.

Especially for the Iron Blood Divine Technique, the ankle was essential as the ‘tail.’

“Damn it!”

Hyperion didn’t want to kill Keter at the cost of losing the Iron Blood Divine Technique. After all, Keter wasn’t some sworn enemy, and killing him wouldn’t gain him anything.

*Thud!*

Hyperion, releasing his palm from Keter’s body, spun like a top and deflected the incoming Tusk aimed at his ankle.

‘A little slower, and I would’ve lost it.’

While the Iron Blood Divine Technique strengthened the body to rival Orichalcon, Tusk’s power was enough to tear through Orichalcon easily, so taking a direct hit was out of the question.

“To find the weakness of the Iron Blood Divine Technique… You’re no ordinary—”

*Boom!*

Hyperion dodged mid-sentence as Keter, holding Tusk in both hands, charged.

‘He’s still fighting after taking the Clear Sky Thunder Fist?!’

Even though he had detached it midway, Keter had taken the Clear Sky Thunder Fist head-on.

A deep palm mark remained on his shoulder. It was surprising his shoulder hadn’t been blown off, but the internal energy from the technique was surely destroying his entire body.

‘How can he still move?’

The secret lay in Keter’s earring.

An Artifact, the Death Pact.

Those wearing this earring share damage equally. Keter had given the other earring to Decameron beforehand. That’s why his body hadn’t exploded despite taking the full brunt.

Unaware of this secret, Hyperion was frustrated but didn’t stop attacking.

Clear Sky Thunder Fist!

A fist capable of shattering mountains aimed precisely at the charging Keter—

*Whoosh! Thud!*

“…!”

Keter, who had been charging like a madman, suddenly slumped, but not before driving Tusk into Hyperion’s arm faster than the fist could land.

The ‘Iron Blood Divine Technique’ that had steadfastly protected Hyperion was gone. Keter acted as if he had known all along.

“Even so, you’re not unscathed either!”

No matter how much Keter was ahead, he couldn’t avoid the shockwaves, and his injuries were piling up. His body was already drenched in blood, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

But Keter seemed to say, ‘So what?’ as he relentlessly continued his assault.

Meanwhile, Hyperion became more talkative, and his movements grew larger.

“The Iron Blood Divine Technique will recover in five minutes. Do you think you can kill me in five minutes?”

*Boom! Boom!*

Hyperion, trying to crush Keter from a distance with the Clear Sky Thunder Fist.

Keter, trying to drive Tusk into Hyperion up close.

It seemed their roles had reversed.

*Whoosh!*

Keter wasn’t just holding Tusk. When the situation called for it, he threw it at Hyperion.

Hyperion countered the flying Tusk with the Clear Sky Thunder Fist, but Keter’s arrows curved mid-flight.

The Clear Sky Thunder Fist only struck the ground, while Tusk embedded itself in Hyperion’s thigh.

“Heh, that’s what you get?”

But Keter’s Tusk had also lost much of its power. Hyperion flexed his thigh, causing Tusk to disintegrate.

*Crash!*

The follow-up Milky Way attack pushed Hyperion, who used both hands as shields, back.

Hyperion, trapped in the smoke, smirked.

“Predictable trick.”

*Boom!*

Hyperion unleashed another Clear Sky Thunder Fist forward, shooting down the Tusks hidden in the smoke.

“The front is a decoy—”

Hyperion turned around and extended both palms. A Clear Sky Thunder Fist, four times larger, devastated a radius of dozens of meters, clearing even the smoke.

Then, Hyperion looked up.

“It’s coming from above, right?”

But there was only the clear sky.

“Huh?!”

By the time he realized his imagination had gone too far, it was too late.

Keter, now far away, was drawing an arrow on Amaranth, gathering power. The full-power Milky Way he had shown in Ruquer.

Keter, who had loaded the Milky Way capable of annihilating hundreds in one go, grinned wickedly.

“Even if it’s predictable, it works.”

*Twang!*

Though Hyperion had been hit by the Milky Way dozens of times, he instinctively felt this one was on a completely different level.

‘30 seconds until the Iron Blood Divine Technique recovers.’

If he could just block this, Keter had no chance. High-dimensional energy, ‘Ain,’ surged in Hyperion’s fists.

‘Keter. No matter how hard you try to break the Iron Blood Divine Technique, the difference in Ain means you can never defeat me.’

From his pulled-back shoulders, Ain erupted explosively.

Clear Sky Thunder Fist—Island Shatterer.

A fist with the power to obliterate an entire island clashed with the full-power Milky Way.

*Rumble.*

There was no deafening noise. The surrounding area became a ‘silent zone’ for a moment.

But then, an enormous explosion erupted from the collision point, spreading in all directions.

*Boom!*

The Demon Realm’s barrier shook, and nearby mountains experienced landslides. The shockwaves from the clash between the ‘Full-Power Milky Way’ and ‘Island Shatterer’ were so immense that even villages tens of thousands of meters away felt the tremors.

At the collision’s origin, a massive crater formed, so deep the bottom wasn’t visible.

*Thud.*

A hand emerged from the crater’s soil. Hyperion’s large hand. Soon after, Keter rose from the opposite side.

Both were within the shockwave’s range, leaving them battered.

Yet, Hyperion was smiling.

“The Iron Blood Divine Technique just recovered. I’m a bit sore from that last hit… but you’ve reached your limit, haven’t you?”

Hyperion, wiping his brow, exuded confidence.

Keter licked the blood from his lips and replied.

“Yeah. I’m at my limit now. My bones are broken, my organs are damaged. My Aura and Mana are depleted.”

“I’ll give you credit for pushing me this far. For a moment, it was terrifying.”

*Swish.*

Hyperion pointed at the ground with his finger.

“Kneel. I’ll make you my subordinate. You’ve earned it.”

“Tch.”

Keter spat out a broken tooth and a chunk of blood, slinging Amaranth over his shoulder.

“Why are you talking like the fight’s over?”

Hyperion looked incredulous.

“Don’t be stubborn. You can’t defeat me. It’s true the Iron Blood Divine Technique’s weakness is the heel, but do you think I’ll expose it again? And you might not know this, but you can’t match the ‘Ain’ I wield with just Aura or Mana. So give up.”

“Hahaha, kekekeke.”

“What’s so funny?”

“I’m grateful.”

“For what?”

“I’m the type who, when told something’s impossible or to give up, finds strength I didn’t have.”

Keter cracked his neck. Though they had only talked briefly, his bleeding had completely stopped.

“Round 2, let’s begin.”

“…Fine. Even if I lose a limb, I’ll still have uses.”

Engulfed in the heat of battle, neither realized.

That their fight was stimulating the Demon Realm’s barrier.

* * *

A new structure had appeared in Sephira.

An Outdoor Party Venue.

Though hastily constructed, it didn’t feel that way. It was an elegant, clean venue.

Watching from the main building’s terrace were the acting family head and branch house lord, Hisop, and Sephira’s second son, Anis.

“The party’s only a week away.”

“Yes.”

Hisop sighed softly and subtly asked.

“Keter…?”

Anis shook his head, and Hisop sighed again.

“Thanks to the mages Denison and Orion, we roughly know where Keter is… but what he’s planning is beyond me.”

“Keter’s not someone you can understand with common sense.”

“I know that, but the nobles who arrived early keep asking where Keter is. I’ve been dodging the question, but if Keter doesn’t attend the party… I’m afraid of what might happen.”

“Brother. Did Keter say he’d attend the party?”

“Hmm…”

Hisop couldn’t recall if he had asked Keter about it. He’d been so busy, but he had assumed Keter would attend.

Just then, the door opened, and the party’s MVP entered.

“Keter definitely said he’d attend.”

“Prince Baiga.”

“Are you well, Branch House Lord?”

The handsome young man who bowed lightly was Baiga. The man who had personally decorated the venue and taught party etiquette from scratch.

Baiga was already dressed as if attending the party, well-dressed but not overdone. He exuded charm and grace.

“It seems Keter hasn’t arrived yet.”

“…That’s right.”

It was a fact he couldn’t hide, so Hisop admitted it readily.

“It seems even the Branch House Lord doesn’t know where Keter went or when he’ll return…”

Baiga spoke with a tone implying Hisop’s incompetence. Anis glared at Baiga, who waved his hand dismissively.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m saying this for Sephira’s sake. As you know, Branch House Lord, the star of this party is Prince Keter, right? If Prince Keter doesn’t attend… what will happen?”

“Nothing good will come of it.”

“You’re optimistic. Sephira will be ostracized from social circles forever. You know what that means, right?”

“Baiga. Mind your manners. You’re speaking to the Branch House Lord.”

Anis, unable to hold back, stepped forward and warned Baiga. Baiga looked Anis up and down and chuckled.

“Such words are spoken by the powerful to the powerless. Anis, you don’t seem qualified to say that to me.”

“……”

Their gazes locked in mid-air.

Hisop intervened.

“Prince Baiga. If Keter can’t attend, what should we do?”

“Hmm. If he can’t attend, we should inform them now. Saying he won’t attend after saying he would is an insult, but saying he won’t attend from the start adds mystery and excitement. Of course, in this situation, with the princess attending, it might not be overlooked… but it’s still better to say something.”

“Hmm…”

As Hisop pondered, Baiga spoke as if it were obvious.

“Just say he won’t attend. As I said before, saying he’ll attend and not showing up is the end. But saying he won’t attend and then showing up becomes a special event. If you don’t know when Keter will arrive, that’s the best option. There’s no other way.”

Anis didn’t like Baiga, but he nodded in agreement with his opinion.

But.

“No, Keter will attend.”

“Branch House Lord. You’re risking too much. If Lord Basil were here, he would’ve decided to inform them of his absence.”

“Prince Baiga. I appreciate your tireless efforts for Sephira, but don’t overstep.”

“……”

Hisop calmly warned without anger. Baiga narrowed his eyes and closed his mouth.

“If Keter said he’d attend the party, he’ll definitely attend. I trust Keter.”

“To stake the family’s fate on Keter alone… I understand. Then we won’t change the party schedule.”

Baiga left just like that.

Anis, frustrated by his consistently rude attitude, vowed to challenge him to a duel after the party.

* * *

Five days had passed since Keter and Hyperion began fighting.

They fought day and night, without eating or sleeping. They just kept fighting.

The Snake Canyon area had become unrecognizable. The once numerous canyons had either collapsed or disappeared.

They had long surpassed their limits. They were moving not by physical strength but by sheer willpower.

They had each landed dozens of fatal blows. Any normal human, or even a master-level fighter, would have died long ago from such injuries. Yet, they kept going.

Their monstrous stamina and regenerative abilities kept them alive.

“Now… just… die!”

Hyperion, gasping for breath, no longer wore his confident expression. He pleaded as he threw a punch.

*Thud! Thud!*

Keter’s Tusk pierced Hyperion’s lung. Simultaneously, Hyperion’s fist pierced Keter’s heart.

No matter how monstrous their regenerative abilities, a shattered heart meant death. Hyperion was certain of his victory.

So, without realizing it, he uttered the ‘forbidden words.’

“Did… did I win?”